“You can buy good coffee on every corner these days; it’s the personal touch that makes the difference,” says Ondřej Schlägel, creative barista at Ambiente
The beginnings, the passion, and the journey to coffee
Can you recall a specific moment or cup of coffee when you realised this wasn't going to just be a hobby, but your profession?
When barista Petra Veselá published her first book on coffee, I was new to Instagram and I had only just begun to discover the world of coffee. Without exaggeration, I have to say, that book changed my life. Until then, I loved working with alcohol. I was sort of a hobby bartender.
Did you start with coffee at home just for fun, or were you drawn to the bar right away?
I started at Caffé 11, a café in Cheb. At the time, it was the best place you could find in Cheb. We worked with Lavazza, used great equipment, and I was completely blown away by the possibilities coffee offered. For me, it was a springboard from which I could launch myself. Any small improvement in latte art or a deeper knowledge was huge motivation to keep pushing myself further.
A significant phase of your career is linked to the Julius Meinl brand. What did this experience give you?
I’ve worked for them for the past three years. That experience taught me a lot, both positive and negative, but above all, it gave me perspective. Until then, I’d been operating more or less exclusively in the world of specialty coffee, whereas Julius Meinl is a commodity coffee brand. At the same time, however, it offers a product that is, quite simply, good. It’s not as sophisticated, and there isn’t as much marketing behind it, but I've realised that coffee doesn’t have to be 100% specialty for people to enjoy it.
Meinl opened my eyes to the area of staff training, which was my main task. I traveled all over the Czech Republic and trained people at businesses that worked with their coffee. I also organised coffee catering at various events, which allowed me to visit places I wouldn’t normally have gone to. I thought it was great that I could apply my knowledge of specialty coffee to the commodity coffee segment. That’s how I designed my training sessions as well.
Why did you decide after three years that it was time for a change, and a move to Ambiente?
There, I disagreed with certain things regarding transparency. There was no consistency or guarantee that I’d receive what had been agreed upon by the deadline we’d set. We have a 16-month-old daughter at home, and I simply needed stability and security.
Besides, you already knew Ambiente from before, right?
Of course! I was here eight years ago, specifically at Myšák on Vodičkova Street. Back then, Ondra Štökl (editor’s note: Ambiente’s head barista) recruited me from a café in Brno where I was working at the time. We were sourcing coffee from Nordbeans, and I travelled to Budapest with them for the World of Coffee festival. That’s where I met Ondra, and we hit it off right away. After having many, many drinks, we tentatively agreed that it would be great if I became a barista at Myšák, which was just getting started at the time. So I know the setup here, I love it here, and I know that we work with the highest-quality ingredients. Simply put, we make good food and good things—it’s not just empty talk, but a fact.
Coffee challenges and Myšák at the Castle
What does a typical day look like for a creative barista?
My responsibilities depend on what I agree on with my boss and mentor, Ondřej Štökl. We always plan out the following week in advance. I’ve been put in charge of Café Savoy, Eska in Letná , and Myšák at the Castle, where I work closely with the barista team. My day consists of visiting these locations, tweaking espresso recipes, helping with latte art, and coming up with new drinks.
It’s a barista routine that should be the same everywhere, and my job is to make sure it is. On top of that, Ondra keeps me busy with tasks like “run a workshop here, meet people there.” I’m glad for it. I’m an introvert, even though I might not seem like one, but I’ve learned to seek out uncomfortable situations because they push me the most. Recently, I led my first public cupping session and a home-brewed filtered coffee course. People left satisfied, but for me, it’s still stressful.
You mentioned three quite different businesses. What are the differences between them in terms of how they work with coffee?
The first difference is the overall vibe and atmosphere. Each business has its own specific clientele, and we have to tailor the drinks to the guests. Of course, we always strive to achieve the best result, but that result is a little different at each of these three places. At Café Savoy and Myšák at the Castle, we work with the same coffee, and yet it tastes different. It depends on the water, the equipment, and the hands that prepare it.
How important is the finishing touch, that is, the latte art? Is it crucial for the guest?
I personally place a lot of importance on first impressions, and the design is the first thing you see in a milk-based drink. At Ambiente, people automatically expect quality; the bar is set high. If I were anywhere else where they don’t master latte art but the coffee tastes good, I’d be satisfied. But since we’re at Ambiente and we want to deliver the highest-quality product, latte art is essential for us. We don’t ask baristas to draw two-headed dragons, but we do expect precision.
Part of your job is also coming up with new drinks. Have you had any experience with that before?
Not at all! But I bring a slightly different perspective to the process than Ondra Štökl. I’m more pragmatic, I keep my feet on the ground, and I don’t get carried away with wild ideas, which is sometimes an advantage, and other times maybe not.
What have you been working on lately?
A great example is Myšák on Vodičkova Street, where, together with head barista Káťa and Ondra, we came up with a shodo-matcha-latte, which is essentially a liquid dessert. At Myšák at the Castle , we’ve once again created espresso tonic, but instead of classic espresso, we use a base of nougatine syrup mixed with espresso and a salt solution. When a guest takes a sip, they’re immediately reminded of the taste of the iconic Myšák sundae. I try to base my drinks on what a given establishment is known for. Right now, I’m working with another creative barista, Jarda Novotný, to fine-tune a new drink for Café Savoy. It’s also important to me that the preparation is efficient and doesn’t slow the barista down during service.
You also helped open a new branch of the Myšák pastry shop at Prague Castle. How do you ensure consistent coffee quality at a new location?
Coffee is a living ingredient that you have to fine-tune every day, no matter where you are. My job is to teach my colleagues not to be afraid or feel overwhelmed by something new, but to work with coffee as a product they know well and enjoy.
The slight catch is that that coffee tastes a little different to everyone. We need to standardise that, calculating an average based on the data, so that everyone can prepare the coffee the same way and the guest gets the same cup in the morning and in the evening.
What do you actually do all day at the new branch?
We handle internal matters, procedures, fine-tune recipes, technology, all sorts. The team isn’t 100% in sync yet, so I can’t just stand there and check the details. We also deal with seemingly minor issues, like when we run out of milk, where exactly to find it in the back. The point is to eliminate confusion, so the team is prepared for any situation that might arise during operations.
The Czech Republic and the World of Coffee
Coffee culture in the Czech Republic is at an extremely high level. Is there room for growth?
We have thousands of coffee shops and hundreds of roasteries here. Practically every larger town has a local roastery these days. Interest in coffee is skyrocketing, but sometimes that’s a bad thing. Cafés are often indistinguishable from one another and don’t offer anything extra that would make you choose them over others.
What do you mean by “something extra”?
What sets us apart, and what we do at Ambiente, is our approach to people. Many businesses still don’t understand the difference between service and hospitality. Hospitality is an approach that makes you return to a place not just for the product, but also for the people. That’s where I see the future of Czech gastronomy. If we can no longer stand out with the type of milk or the method of preparation, we can still stand out through our human touch.
So where will the coffee world be heading, technologically or in terms of flavour, now that the third wave of coffee has peaked?
The third wave of coffee has indeed hit its ceiling. Locality, transparency, and sustainability have become the norm. And when something becomes the norm, it ceases to be “hype,” and the market demands something new. Right now, there’s a lot of experimentation with so-called batch-brewed (pre-brewed) and aged espresso. It started in the U.S. and Australia. At first, the community reacted negatively, but then it was discovered that aged espresso has a much more pronounced flavour. I can confirm that. Then, of course, combinations with ingredients that seemingly have nothing to do with coffee, such as matcha, hojicha, and the like, will take off. This is a major challenge for the entire coffee world.
The Third Wave is an approach that views coffee as a high-quality, artisanal product. It emphasises the origin of the beans, the processing method, and precise preparation. It focuses on specialty coffee, supply chain transparency, and a variety of flavours that reflect the specific farm, variety, and roasting method.
Which coffee (or non-coffee) drink is the biggest trend right now?
Definitely matcha, which is kind of funny because I actually have no idea when the current boom started. Matcha has been around for over 850 years, much longer than coffee. It’s an amazing product that perfectly complements the coffee industry. They’re similar in some ways, but they differ in how their caffeine works. Matcha releases it gradually, which has a more pleasant effect on the body. Plus, it looks great, is colourful, and pairs beautifully with contrasting syrups.
A Coffee Questionnaire to Wrap Things Up
What does your at-home coffee routine look like?
It’s actually pretty sad. (laughs) I brought a professional capsule coffee machine home from my old job. It requires professional capsules that contain 9 to 10 grams of coffee, so I can make a really good espresso even from a capsule. I also like to make pour-over coffee, French press, or matcha.
Where in Prague do you like to go for coffee?
I’ll admit that I don’t really go out of my way to sit down anywhere anymore. Rather than places, I seek out specific people. I have my favourite baristas. I’m happy to go to any café for Doubleshot, otherwise, I seek out smaller spots, like Onesip.
How much coffee do you drink on average each day?
About 12 to 14 espressos a day. Of course, you have to drink plenty of plain water and eat well. The body gets used to all sorts of things, after that, I sleep like a baby.
If coffee disappeared from the world tomorrow, what would you turn to?
Tea! I love tea. It’s so similar to coffee, in terms of caffeine, its overall philosophy, and its culture.
